Graduating baseball standout Chris Playter (Kansas City, Mo.) has been voted the winner of the 55th Annual Virgil Cheek Athletic Achievement Award and headlines a group of 61 Missouri State University student-athletes who are scheduled to receive their degrees at spring commencement ceremonies at JQH Arena on Friday, May 15.
The Virgil Cheek Award has been given annually since 1955 at Missouri State to the graduating senior male student-athlete best demonstrating high qualities in scholarship, character, attendance, leadership and athletic performance. The award is named in honor of the long-time Missouri State faculty athletics representative and business faculty member and selected by the six men’s intercollegiate athletics head coaches.
Playter holds a 3.82 grade point average in communications and will complete the 2009 season as a four-year letterman and two-year starter who is one of just two players to start every game this season for the Bears. He ranks eighth on MSU’s career list for game-winning RBI with 16, and has 10 game-winners this season to rank third on that list. He is a career .282 hitter in 135 games with 77 RBI, 30 extra-base hits and 27 stolen bases. He earned a place on the 2008 MVC Scholar Athlete First Team, earned the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award in 2008, claimed 208 MVC All-Tournament honors, and was named to the 2008 All-MVC Utility Team second squad. He was named to the Sam Houston State Bearkat Classic All-Tournament Team earlier this spring and was recently named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team. He is the first baseball player to earn the Cheek Award since Dan Kneeshaw in 1996.
The number of graduating student-athletes matches the second-best total on record at Missouri State, matching the May 2004 class and falling just three shy of the all-time standard of 64 set in May 2006. A total of 57 student-athletes graduated in May 2008.
The 2009 spring graduation list includes nine former Bears receiving their Master’s degrees and 17 student-athletes graduating with academic honors, including Playter who will earn magna cum laude distinction.
The list also includes graduate degrees being awarded to: Jamie Adams (volleyball and women’s basketball), Adeana McAfee Brewer (volleyball), Ty Davis (football), Samantha Fleeman (softball), Amanda Herbster (softball), Missy Linnens (women’s golf), Tanner Mattson (baseball), Jared Opp (football) and Brian Pasierb (men’s soccer).
Baseball, football and women’s soccer lead the programs graduating the most undergraduate students with six apiece, while softball and volleyball will graduate five. Other programs with graduating student-athletes include: field hockey (4), women’s basketball (3), women’s golf (3), men’s soccer (3), men’s track/cross country (3), women’s track/cross country (3), men’s swimming/diving (3), women’s swimming/diving (2), and men’s basketball (1).
Former men’s track and field performer Tyler Sanders tops the list of scholastic honor winners with summa cum laude distinction, while eight individuals earned magna cum laude honors, including Playter, women’s soccer players Reaghan Albert and Megan Beebe, swimmers Josh Udermann and Jessica Bennett, track athletes Chavis Clawson and Evan Hegi, and volleyball player Nikki Vandepopulier. Nine others are graduating cum laude.
The top five student-athlete graduating classes on record at Missouri State are: May 2006 (64), May 2004 (61), May 2009 (61), May 2005 (59), May 2007 (57), May 2008 (57).
The winners of the Andrew J. McDonald Achievement Award also were selected in advance of Friday’s commencement activities. The physical education department faculty annually recognizes the top graduating senior athletics participants majoring in healthy and physical education, and the 2009 recipients of the award are Erica Warfield (Rolla, Mo.) and Wade Marriott (Mountain View, Mo.). The award has been presented annually since 1969 and is named for the long-time Missouri State physical education department head and men’s basketball and golf coach.
Warfield is from Rolla, Mo., and participated one season for the Missouri State women’s basketball program (2006-07). She has a 3.86 grade point average. Marriott is from Mountain View, Mo., and was a participant in school sports programs and coaching. He will complete his degree with a 3.47 grade point average.
The two remaining awards to be selected for the 2008-09 academic year will be named at the conclusion of all Missouri State athletics competition for the year when the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Senior Female Scholar Athlete Award and the Missouri State Outstanding Female Athlete Award will be presented.
Undergraduate Degrees (52)
Baseball (6) - Cory Bishop, Tim Clubb, Brant Combs, Chris Playter**, Sean Toler, Bob Zimmermann
Men’s Basketball (1) - Spencer Laurie
Women’s Basketball (3) - Tiffany Coppage, Maggie Dwyer, Jennifer Turner
Field Hockey (4) - Sandy Fulkerson, Sarah Johnson, Kathleen Reagan, Jessica Schuster*
Football (6) - Chris Brehmer*, J.D. Gustafson, Cory Harbor, Seth Reichert, Chris Wash, Roger Wright
Women’s Golf (3) - Megan Agey, Mallory Mahon, Lindsey Wellenstein*
Men’s Soccer (3) - Kenny Boutsabouabane, Yanik Joseph, Joe Welch
Women’s Soccer (6) - Reaghan Albert**, Megan Beebe**, Meghan Cassady*, Lauren Heck, Jackie Jasper, Erica West
Softball (5) - Ashley Arbon, Jennifer Carr, Brooke Kempker, Carrie Roberson, Jana Shewmaker*
Men’s Swimming/Diving (3) - Ignacio Gayo, Aaron Goertzen*, Josh Udermann**
Women’s Swimming/Diving (2) - Jessica Bennett**, Andrea Gerbrand
Men’s Track/Cross Country (3) - Chavis Clawson**, Evan Hegi**, Tyler Sanders***
Women’s Track/Cross Country (3) - Courtney Broser, Leander Ernest, Chloe Key
Volleyball (5) - Kelly Andress*, Terri Del-Conte, Ashley Kell, Nikki Vandepopulier**, Jami Youmans*
Graduate Degrees (9)
Baseball (1) - Tanner Mattson
Women's Basketball (1) - Jamie Adams (also listed with volleyball)
Football (2) - Ty Davis, Jared Opp
Women's Golf (1) - Missy Linnens
Men's Soccer (1) - Brian Pasierb
Softball (2) - Samantha Fleeman, Amanda Herbster
Volleyball (1) - Adeana (McAfee) Brewer, Jamie Adams (see also women's basketball)
Scholastic Honors
* cum laude
** magna cum laude
*** summa cum laude
Virgil Cheek Award Recipients
1955 Jerry Anderson, basketball-track
1956 Ron Whitaker, football
1957 George Simpson, track
1958 Max Oldham, basketball
1959 Russ Robinson, basketball
1960 Charlie Finley, football-track
1961 Jerry Stockard, basketball
1962 Carl Wilks, basketball
1963 Edsel Matthews, basketball
1964 Rich Johanningmeier, football
1965 Jerry Boyer, football
1966 Dan Young, football
1967 Bill Douglass, football-track
1968 Dennis Scott, football
1969 Danny Cook, baseball
1970 Bill Lamberson, track
1971 Chuck Williams, basketball
1972 Bob Curl, basketball-track
1973 Eric Thompson, basketball
1974 Randy Magers, basketball-baseball
1975 Bob Grana, football
1976 Kent Stringer, football
1977 John Prasuhn, track-cross country
1978 Terry Kasper, football-baseball
1979 Ron Snider, baseball
1980 Mitch Ware, football
1981 Bobby Biser, golf
1982 Mark Daniels, football
1983 Darrin Newbold, football
1984 Anthony Boggs, basketball
1985 Brian Smith, basketball
1986 Phil Schlegel, basketball
1987 Scott Hickox, basketball
1988 Preston Estes, football
1989 Scott Hartwig, football
1990 Chris Stange, basketball
1991 Jeff Eiserman, golf
1992 Tim McDuffey, football
1993 Chad Lakin, baseball
1994 Jim Prendergast, wrestling
1995 Chad Gardner, cross country-track
1996 Dan Kneeshaw, football-baseball
1997 Brad Barnes, soccer
1998 Neal McNamara, tennis
1999 Derek Jensen, football
2000 Brad St. Louis, football
2001 Matt White, football
2002 Jason Ringena, football
2003 Blake Boldon, cross country-track
2004 Rishi Garbharran, tennis
2005 Brad Durham, football
2006 Nathan Platz, soccer
2007 Mike Radon, football
2008 David Tillman, football
2009 Chris Playter, baseball
Andrew J. McDonald Achievement Award Recipients
Men
1969 Dennis Darnell, football
1970 Gene Garrison, wrestling
1971 Chuck Williams, basketball
1972 Bob Curl, basketball-track
1973 Rod Dishman, baseball
1974 Mike Keltner, basketball
1975 David Oatman, basketball-baseball
1976 Jack Carter, football
1977 Steve Spencer, football
1978 Kelly Walker, football
1979 Tony Armstrong, basketball
1980 Mitch Ware, football
1981 Dennis Whitehouse, wrestling
1982 Mark Daniels, football
1983 Dan Hemenway, swimming
1984 None awarded
1985 Scott Mantooth, track-cross country
1986 Preston Stinger, football
1987 Stacey Burkey, baseball
1988 Roger James, track
1989 Richard Rippee, baseball
1990 Scott DeHart, baseball
1991 Mark Krause, wrestling
1992 Paul Carney, football
1993 Ricky Lowrance, basketball
1994 Marty Marsh, basketball
1995 Sam Wutke, basketball
1996 Ryan Bravo, football
1997 Corey Roy, football
1998 Randy Carpenter, boys’ & girls’ clubs
1999 Ryan Touhey, football
2000 Cory Schroepfer, basketball
2001 Adam O’Hara, school programs
2002 Shawn Widel, school programs
2003 Grant Berendt, school programs
2004 Landon Gray, sports officiating
2005 Matt Greenwood, ice hockey/ROTC
2006 Jud Kindle, baseball
2007 Ryan Waters, school programs